Their Flag is Planted Deeply in the Ground
The very talented and thankfully local band, American Revival is back with a new lineup and new EP called Thank Ya Kindly. Folks, the lads have done it again. It’s a North Woods corker! From the first few wonderful seconds of the opening…
The Power and Mystique Of Minneapolis
On the fourth song into their set in the Main Room at First Avenue last night, Tom Chapman, lead singer of Battle, East Sussex’s Keane, realized he was going to have a personally transformative evening. It was during the devastating…
A New North Woods Legend
There are many myths, legends and stories that come from the North Woods of America. The wood spirit of Wendigo which could only be seen when facing it head on…the little people who lived among the trees and distracted many…
He Stands The Test of Time…Like Beatles and Stones
(Beady Eye, Live in the Main Room, First Avenue, 5 December 2011) Liam Gallagher is doing just fine without Oasis. Well, actually, he took most of Oasis with him and formed a new band called Beady Eye so he’s not…
How’d You Like That, How’d You Like That, How’d You Like That…I Liked It!!! [The Kooks at First Ave]
“How many bands can you name that have only three albums out and, after a 21 song set, you still want more? Not many. But that’s the beauty of Brighton’s The Kooks. The recently released Junk of the Heart is…
How Did I Survive, Survive, Survive, Survive…?
Early last year, Brooklyn’s great new band The Drums released an EP entitled Summertime! Later that year, just before summer, they released their first full length, self titled album. Both have been in regular rotation ever since. Their latest offering,…
Home Town Boys: The Time live in Minneapolis
I wish I was Morris Day. This desire might seem odd coming from someone who is quite literally whiter than anyone – including all white people – on the entire planet. As Morris said long ago, “You got to shake…
Creating Nostalgia: Midlake at the Cedar Cultural Center
That’s one amazing thing about music, the way it enters people’s worlds to become part of the soundtrack of their lives–Tom Petty, 2009 I agree completely. In fact, I think it goes even further. What if you hear a band…
A Bloody Rager: Arctic Monkeys at First Avenue
A few years back, a couple of guys on my tennis team were talking. Let’s call them Jim and John. Jim, the older brother of John, was talking about a party that John had recently while their parents were away.…
Shining Still…To Give Us The Will
In the summer of 1980, my father pulled into our driveway. My mom and he had been divorced for just over a year. I had spent the last year missing him terribly. He was living over a half hour away…
